7 25 - Greed
by Galaxy-Defending-Hopeful
Summary: 7/25 for a prompt table. Prompt is 'greed'. Tom has issues...depression, eating disorder, love. When all crash together, he turns to the permanent, dark figure in his life, death. Depression, binge eating disorder, suicide attempt. Flones.


**TRIGGER WARNING – EATING DISORDER AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. As someone who sometimes binges and used to purge pretty much every day, when I saw the prompt 'greed', I knew what I had to write about. I hope that this isn't too triggering for anyone.**

* * *

'Greed'

"Tom, I just can't do this any more. I love you, but...it just isn't working. Sometimes I feel like we're not even friends any more." Danny quietly said, avoiding eye contact with his former lover. Tears spilt down Tom's cheeks.

"Please, Danny. Please. Can't we try again? I'm sorry..." Tom was choked by a sob as he sat down with a thud on the carpet of the bandhouse. "I love you, Dan..."

Tom's voice broke as he spoke, the misery filling him and threatening to spill out.

"Tom, we're still gonna see each other every day – we're in a band together, we live together! We're just taking the sexual bit out. We need to fix what has gone wrong."

Tom stared up at Danny like a lost child, completely broken. "Please..." he whispered.

Danny looked down at Tom, and then did the thing that hurt Tom most of all. He walked out of the living room, leaving Tom on the floor, sobbing.

* * *

When Tom Fletcher is upset, he binge eats. Chicken, crisps, chips, chocolate, cookies...anything he can find, he devours, usually while watching a Disney film and crying. As he slowly broke down inside, he gathered up a tray of food, all equating to around 6000 calories (including such delights as a whole chocolate sponge and an entire family pack of crisps). Staring down at the tray, self hatred filled Tom. He had ruined their relationship. Although it wasn't Tom's fault, he felt so guilty that he was almost certain that it was. Misery choked him, and a strange kind of need made him pile the tray even higher. He had to be incredibly careful when he carried it upstairs so as to avoid spilling the bowl of custard or knocking the three cans of coke over and fizzing them up. Once in their- his room, he switched on the TV, pushed 'Beauty and the Beast' into the DVD player, and began to eat with some strange intensity. It was almost as if if he didn't stop eating, he would be okay. That was how it looked, anyway.

* * *

Danny was listening to music, trying to avoid thinking about his ex-boyfriend, when he heard the sound of retching just down the hall in the bathroom. Oh god – was that Tom? He should go and check...something inside of Danny, however, stopped him from getting up. They weren't together any more. He could check later, when the other two were back from their date and the four of them were watching a movie together. Pushing his earphones in, Danny tried to stop thinking about the feeling of his heart breaking.

* * *

Tom, meanwhile, was sat in front of the toilet with his head on his knees, sobs shaking his body. After devouring almost 10,000 calories in under half an hour, vomit had surged up his throat and the food, lots of it still half-formed, was coming back up, and burning. The pain increased as the food poured from his mouth, along with the hot, sour taste of sick. More, more, more, it just kept coming. Sometimes he could recognise the foods – he was certain that he could see some of the bread that he had consumed. Now, the food had all gone from him, but the sick sensation remained. So did the self-hatred. In those miserable, burning moments sat in front of the stinking, blocked toilet, Tom truly despised himself. His lack of control, his binge, his swollen, painful stomach, his everything...no wonder Danny had left him. Who would want a pig like him as a boyfriend? Another tear dripped down Tom's cheek and fell onto the knee of his jeans, leaving a darker blue patch. As he sat there, the words to what would become 'She Falls Asleep' began to form in his head.

* * *

When Harry and Dougie got back in, they immediately went to the kitchen to grab a snack. However, they found that most of the snack foods that they had in were gone. Harry, who was tired and hungry and a little frustrated, immediately snapped,

"Ugh, Tom must have had another binge, greedy git."

Dougie stared at his friend. Tom had confided in him a little more than Harry, and as such he felt quite a bit more sympathy towards Tom. "Maybe Danny ate some as well." he offered.

Harry was about to reply when Danny came in, looking panicked.

"Have you seen Tom?"

They shook their heads.

"No, but I can see that he's been eating-"

"Harry, not now! He's missing! I broke up with him earlier, and now he's gone and the toilet is all blocked up with sick."

Harry's harsh words died on his lips. "We've gotta find him."

* * *

Danny dialled Tom's number, nerves bundling inside of him. He could have died with relief when Tom answered. "Tom?"

"Yes?" Tom's voice was barely audible above what sounded like the wind.

"Oh, thank god you're okay!" Danny could have cried.

"I'm fine. I'm always fine."

Danny couldn't help but smile a little – this was like old, stoic Tom, pretending that everything was always okay when really he was more messed up than most. "Where are you, Tom? We'll come and pick you up, bring you home."

"I'm at the shopping centre, at the front entrance."

"Tom?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Danny. I love you so fucking much."

Just after the phone clicked off, Tom smiled. He'd said his goodbye. Closing his eyes, he let himself topple off of the building. His last thoughts before the darkness were '_I love you, Danny._'.

* * *

A regular beeping. Darkness all around. Tom was faintly aware that his head hurt. He felt as if he was swimming in the black, watery depths of his own mind. However, one thing kept him concentrating – the sound of Danny, crying. Danny never cried. He needed to comfort brave, wonderful, Danny – if he was crying, something was badly wrong. Tom was, however, unable to open his own eyes. As he lay there, useless and paralysed in his mind, he remembered what had happened. He had tried to kill himself, and obviously it hadn't worked. He expected to feel misery or something akin to upset, but he didn't. Just relief that Danny's tears wouldn't last for long. Tom slipped back into a deep, calm sleep, hoping beyond hope that when he was next conscious he would be able to hold Danny in his arms.

* * *

The next time Tom opened his eyes, darkness shrouded the room except for a small lamp beside his bed and the little lights on the machines hooked up to him. Blinking, he became aware that his legs were both in plaster and supported upwards by some sort of sling-type device. Everything hurt, but he could tell he had had a lot of painkillers. Beside him, Danny was sat, asleep on his own lap.

"Danny..." Tom croaked, even his throat sore.

Danny was instantly alert. He stared at Tom and burst into tears.

"I thought you were gonna die!" Danny cried. He grabbed Tom's chest and leant on it, crying hard. Tom tried to move his arm to grab Danny into a close embrace, but a sharp pain and a quick glance told him that his arms were both plastered as well.

"I'm sorry..." Tom mumbled, leaning in as far as he could so that his chin was resting on Danny's head.

"You twat..." Danny snuffled into his chest. Tom silently agreed.

"I love you..." Tom mumbled. Danny nodded, too choked up to reply.

"I'm sorry I was so greedy before...wanting everything in a relationship." Danny finally said, sniffling into Tom's chest.

"You weren't greedy, love. Not at all."


End file.
